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Nepal Lok Sewa Education Service Officer study materials
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Nepal Lok Sewa Education Service Officer practice questions

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Question 1Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

According to Piaget, a child who searches for a toy hidden under a cloth is demonstrating that which concept has been attained?

  1. Object permanence Correct answer.
  2. Reversible thinking
  3. Conservation of mass
  4. Abstract reasoning

Explanation

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight, and it develops during Piaget's sensorimotor stage. Searching for a hidden toy shows that the child can represent the toy after it disappears.

Question 2Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In Vygotsky's theory, the zone of proximal development refers to which of the following?

  1. A fixed stage of cognitive maturation
  2. The period when language is absent
  3. The solo-to-assisted range Correct answer.
  4. The capacity of long-term memory

Explanation

Vygotsky defined the zone of proximal development as the distance between what a learner can do independently and what the learner can do with adult or peer assistance. Instruction is most effective when aimed at this assisted range.

Question 3Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In Pavlov's experiments, the bell initially produced no salivation. After pairing with food, the bell became a what?

  1. Conditioned stimulus Correct answer.
  2. Unconditioned response
  3. Conditioned response
  4. Unconditioned stimulus

Explanation

A neutral stimulus that acquires the ability to elicit a conditioned response after pairing with an unconditioned stimulus is the conditioned stimulus. In Pavlov's work the bell became the conditioned stimulus and salivation to it the conditioned response.

Question 4Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A teacher removes a weekly quiz for a class that completes all homework. The class's homework completion increases. This is an example of which principle?

  1. Negative reinforcement Correct answer.
  2. Positive reinforcement
  3. Extinction
  4. Punishment

Explanation

Negative reinforcement increases behavior by removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus. Removing the quiz contingent on completed homework strengthens homework completion.

Question 5Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Thorndike's law of effect states that responses followed by satisfying consequences are what?

  1. Unaffected by consequences
  2. Learned only through insight
  3. More likely to be repeated Correct answer.
  4. Less likely to be repeated

Explanation

Thorndike's law of effect holds that responses followed by satisfying consequences are strengthened, while those followed by discomfort are weakened. It is a basic behavioral principle of connectionism.

Question 6Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student imitates a senior's laboratory technique after watching the senior receive praise. This best illustrates which type of learning?

  1. Classical conditioning
  2. Insight learning
  3. Latent learning
  4. Observational learning Correct answer.

Explanation

Observational learning occurs when behavior changes after watching a model and the consequences the model receives. Praise vicariously reinforces the modeled technique.

Question 7Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In the revised Bloom's taxonomy, which cognitive process is highest in the hierarchy?

  1. Understanding
  2. Analyzing
  3. Evaluating
  4. Creating Correct answer.

Explanation

In the revised Bloom's taxonomy the six processes are remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Creating is placed at the top because it involves producing a new or original product.

Question 8Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In Maslow's hierarchy, the need for recognition, status, and respect from others belongs to which category?

  1. Belongingness needs
  2. Physiological needs
  3. Safety needs
  4. Esteem needs Correct answer.

Explanation

Esteem needs include recognition, status, respect, and achievement. They come after physiological, safety, and belongingness needs in Maslow's hierarchy.

Question 9Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A child says a tall narrow glass holds more water than a short wide glass containing the same amount. According to Piaget, the child has not yet acquired which concept?

  1. Seriation
  2. Conservation Correct answer.
  3. Object permanence
  4. Classification

Explanation

Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains unchanged when appearance changes, such as pouring the same amount into a differently shaped glass. A child who judges by height alone has not yet conserved.

Question 10Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In Kohlberg's theory, a child who obeys rules mainly to avoid punishment is at which level?

  1. Conventional
  2. Formal operational
  3. Postconventional
  4. Preconventional Correct answer.

Explanation

Kohlberg's preconventional level is based on self-interest and avoidance of punishment. Obedience to avoid punishment is a typical stage 1 reason.

Question 11Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

According to information-processing theory, working memory is best described as which of the following?

  1. The store that holds sensory impressions briefly
  2. A set of automatic motor programs
  3. A limited workspace for active processing Correct answer.
  4. A permanent store of unlimited capacity

Explanation

Working memory is a limited-capacity system that temporarily holds and manipulates information during thinking. Its limits help explain why learners can handle only a few novel elements at once.

Question 12Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Before teaching a lesson on photosynthesis, a teacher presents a broad comparison between how plants and animals obtain energy. This is intended as which of the following?

  1. An advance organizer Correct answer.
  2. A reinforcement schedule
  3. A discovery exercise
  4. A summative assessment

Explanation

An advance organizer is introductory material that bridges what learners already know and the new content by showing broad relationships. It is a key element of Ausubel's meaningful reception learning.

Question 13Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Bruner's idea that basic ideas are revisited at increasing levels of complexity is known as which concept?

  1. Programmed instruction
  2. Spiral curriculum Correct answer.
  3. Contiguity learning
  4. Mastery learning

Explanation

Bruner's spiral curriculum revisits fundamental ideas at increasing levels of complexity so that learners deepen understanding over time. It is tied to his emphasis on structure and discovery.

Question 14Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Kohler's studies with chimpanzees, in which a solution appeared suddenly after restructuring the problem, illustrated which concept?

  1. Trial-and-error learning
  2. Classical conditioning
  3. Observational learning
  4. Insight learning Correct answer.

Explanation

Insight learning occurs when a learner suddenly reorganizes the perceptual field and perceives a solution. Kohler's chimpanzees showed this sudden restructuring rather than gradual trial and error.

Question 15Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student's quiz score is checked after an unpredictable number of completed practice sets. Which schedule is in use, and what is its typical effect?

  1. Variable interval; slow, steady responding
  2. Variable ratio; persistent responding Correct answer.
  3. Fixed interval; steady responding near deadline
  4. Fixed ratio; a pause after each reward

Explanation

A variable-ratio schedule reinforces after an unpredictable number of responses. It typically produces high and persistent responding because the learner cannot predict when the next reward will come.

Question 16Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A dog salivates to a bell paired with food. The bell is then presented repeatedly without food until salivation stops. This procedure is which of the following?

  1. Extinction Correct answer.
  2. Discrimination
  3. Spontaneous recovery
  4. Generalization

Explanation

Extinction is the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. The dog stops salivating to the bell when food no longer follows.

Question 17Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student who learns to solve proportions in mathematics later applies the same reasoning in a chemistry dilution problem. This is an example of which concept?

  1. Zero transfer
  2. Negative transfer
  3. Positive transfer Correct answer.
  4. Retroactive interference

Explanation

Positive transfer occurs when prior learning helps performance in a new situation. Using proportional reasoning in chemistry after learning it in mathematics is a helpful transfer.

Question 18Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A learner pauses to check whether the current strategy is working and switches to another strategy when it is not. This is primarily which of the following?

  1. Classical conditioning
  2. Metacognitive control Correct answer.
  3. Rote memorization
  4. Convergent thinking

Explanation

Metacognition involves monitoring and regulating one's own thinking, including checking strategy effectiveness and changing strategies. The learner is regulating cognition rather than merely memorizing content.

Question 19Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student believes she can succeed at a difficult statistics task because she has succeeded at similar tasks before. Which source of self-efficacy is this?

  1. Physiological state
  2. Mastery experience Correct answer.
  3. Verbal persuasion
  4. Vicarious experience

Explanation

In Bandura's theory, mastery experience is the strongest source of self-efficacy: prior success at similar tasks raises belief in one's capability. Vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states are other sources.

Question 20Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student fails an examination and says, 'I am just not smart enough; I always fail at this subject.' In Weiner's attribution theory, this explanation is which of the following?

  1. Internal, unstable, controllable
  2. Internal, stable, uncontrollable Correct answer.
  3. External, unstable, controllable
  4. External, stable, uncontrollable

Explanation

In Weiner's attribution model, ability is internal, stable, and uncontrollable. Saying 'I am not smart enough' and 'I always fail' attributes failure to a fixed personal capacity.

Question 21Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A constructivist teacher is most likely to use which approach?

  1. Learners build ideas from experience Correct answer.
  2. Teachers transmit facts for exact recall
  3. Reward silent repetition
  4. Use only standardized tests

Explanation

Constructivism holds that learners actively build knowledge by connecting new information with prior experience. The teacher's role is to guide and support that construction rather than transmit fixed facts.

Question 22Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In Gagne's nine events of instruction, which event should come first?

  1. Providing feedback
  2. Assessing performance
  3. Gaining attention Correct answer.
  4. Presenting the stimulus

Explanation

Gagne's nine events begin with gaining attention, because instruction must first orient the learner to the lesson. Later events include presenting the stimulus, providing guidance, eliciting performance, and giving feedback.

Question 23Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A teacher wants a shy student to speak before the class. She first rewards the student for standing at the front, then for whispering, then for speaking audibly. This technique is which of the following?

  1. Shaping Correct answer.
  2. Modeling
  3. Extinction
  4. Flooding

Explanation

Shaping reinforces successive approximations of a target behavior. Rewarding each closer step gradually builds the complex behavior of speaking before the class.

Question 24Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A student who learned French in school finds that French words interfere when learning Spanish later. This is an example of which concept?

  1. Decay
  2. Repression
  3. Proactive interference Correct answer.
  4. Retroactive interference

Explanation

Proactive interference occurs when older learning interferes with the recall of newer learning. Previously learned French words disrupt the later learning of Spanish words.

Question 25Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

In a mastery-learning approach, a teacher uses a short quiz after each unit and reteaches until students reach a set criterion before moving on. This best reflects which concept?

  1. Mastery criterion Correct answer.
  2. Summative comparison
  3. Aptitude tracking
  4. Norm-referenced ranking

Explanation

Mastery learning holds that students should reach a defined performance criterion before advancing, with feedback and reteaching as needed. The short quiz is used formatively to check the criterion, not to rank students.

Question 26Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

According to Vygotsky, the zone of proximal development refers to which of the following?

  1. The stage at which a learner becomes able to reason about abstract ideas without the support of concrete objects or props
  2. The point at which a learner no longer needs any reinforcement in order to keep performing a newly learned behaviour
  3. The period during which a child is especially sensitive to acquiring a particular skill, such as learning a first language
  4. The distance between what a learner can do independently and what the learner can do with guidance from a more capable person Correct answer.

Explanation

Vygotsky defined the zone of proximal development as the gap between a learner's actual, independent level of performance and the level reachable with assistance from an adult or more capable peer. Instruction is regarded as most effective when it is pitched inside this zone, where the learner can succeed with support that is gradually withdrawn. The concept therefore links learning to social mediation rather than to solitary discovery.

Question 27Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Which claim is most consistent with Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

  1. Intelligence is a single general factor, often labelled g, that predicts performance on nearly every kind of cognitive task
  2. Intelligence comprises several relatively independent abilities, each with its own pattern of development Correct answer.
  3. Intelligence is best measured by the speed and accuracy of responses on timed, standardized psychometric tests
  4. Intelligence develops through a fixed sequence of universal stages that every child passes through in the same order

Explanation

Gardner argued against a single general intelligence, proposing a set of relatively autonomous intelligences such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, and interpersonal abilities. Each is claimed to have its own developmental course and to be expressed in different domains of performance. The theory is therefore pluralistic about what counts as intelligence.

Question 28Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A nine-year-old who is repeatedly praised for completing school projects begins to take on harder tasks with confidence, while a classmate whose efforts go unnoticed begins to doubt his own ability. These contrasting patterns are best explained by which of Erikson's psychosocial stages?

  1. Autonomy versus shame and doubt
  2. Industry versus inferiority Correct answer.
  3. Trust versus mistrust
  4. Identity versus role confusion

Explanation

Erikson placed the school-age years in the industry versus inferiority stage, where children seek recognition for producing and completing work. Consistent praise and successful accomplishment build a sense of competence, whereas repeated failure or neglect of effort fosters feelings of inferiority. The scenario directly matches this age period and this task of competence versus inadequacy.

Question 29Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

A novice struggles to recall a ten-digit string, but once the digits are grouped into three familiar patterns he reproduces the string easily. Which explanation is most consistent with information-processing theory?

  1. The learner used maintenance rehearsal, which permanently enlarges the storage capacity of working memory itself
  2. Grouping reduced the number of separate units that working memory had to hold at the same time Correct answer.
  3. The digits were transferred directly into long-term memory, bypassing the limited working memory store entirely
  4. The digits became a conditioned stimulus that automatically triggered the correct sequence of responses

Explanation

Working memory is limited in the number of units, or chunks, it can hold at once, not in the raw amount of information each unit contains. Recoding digits into familiar patterns creates fewer but richer units, so the same string fits within the capacity limit. This is the standard chunking explanation in information-processing accounts of memory.

Question 30Educational Psychology and Learning Theory

Two groups practise the same set of mathematics problem types. Group A works through many problems of one type before moving to the next, while Group B mixes problem types within each practice set. On a delayed transfer test Group B performs better, even though its accuracy during practice was lower. Which interpretation best fits these results?

  1. Group B must have received more total practice time, and time on task alone is sufficient to explain the difference in transfer performance
  2. Group A must have learned the material more thoroughly, so the delayed test result reflects measurement error rather than genuine learning
  3. Group B benefited mainly because mixed practice felt more varied and interesting, which raised their motivation to keep practising
  4. Mixing the types required learners to discriminate among problem structures, and that difficulty benefited later transfer Correct answer.

Explanation

Interleaving is a desirable difficulty: because learners cannot rely on a predictable sequence, they must repeatedly identify which structure a problem has and which strategy fits it. This discrimination practice supports flexible retrieval and transfer, at the cost of rougher performance during practice itself. A delayed transfer advantage alongside lower practice accuracy is exactly the pattern this account predicts.

Question 31Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

In the revised Bloom's taxonomy, which cognitive process lies at the lowest level of the hierarchy?

  1. Analysing
  2. Creating
  3. Remembering Correct answer.
  4. Applying

Explanation

The revised taxonomy orders processes from simple to complex as remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating. Remembering, which involves retrieving relevant knowledge from memory, is the foundation of the other levels.

Question 32Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

According to Piaget, a child who can conserve quantity and classify objects but cannot yet reason about abstract hypothetical problems is in which stage?

  1. Sensorimotor
  2. Concrete operational Correct answer.
  3. Preoperational
  4. Formal operational

Explanation

In the concrete operational stage, roughly ages seven to eleven, children master conservation and classification when working with concrete objects. Abstract, hypothetical reasoning develops later in the formal operational stage.

Question 33Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development refers to:

  1. The stage at which a child can solve problems alone
  2. The gap between what a learner can do alone and with guidance Correct answer.
  3. The range of scores obtained in a class test
  4. The time a learner needs to master a skill

Explanation

The zone of proximal development is the distance between the learner's independent performance and the level reachable with adult or peer assistance. Instruction is considered most effective when aimed at this zone, where guidance can be internalised.

Question 34Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Formative assessment is used mainly to:

  1. Give feedback that adjusts teaching while learning continues Correct answer.
  2. Rank learners at the end of a term
  3. Certify completion of a course
  4. Select students for admission

Explanation

Formative assessment is ongoing and diagnostic; its purpose is to gather evidence about learning so that teaching and learning can be adjusted during the course. It is not intended primarily to grade or certify.

Question 35Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

According to Maslow's hierarchy, which need must be reasonably satisfied before higher-level needs can motivate behaviour?

  1. Physiological needs Correct answer.
  2. Esteem needs
  3. Self-actualisation
  4. Belongingness needs

Explanation

Maslow placed physiological needs such as food, water and sleep at the base of the hierarchy. Lower needs are considered prepotent, so a hungry or exhausted learner is unlikely to be motivated by growth needs.

Question 36Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Which statement best reflects a constructivist view of learning?

  1. Learners store information exactly as it is presented by the teacher
  2. Learners build new understanding by connecting it with what they already know Correct answer.
  3. Learning is best measured by recall of textbook definitions
  4. Teaching should proceed mainly through uninterrupted teacher talk

Explanation

Constructivism holds that knowledge is actively built by the learner through interaction between new information and existing mental structures. The teacher's role is to create situations that prompt this construction rather than to transmit content verbatim.

Question 37Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

A school administers a final examination at the end of the academic year mainly in order to:

  1. Provide immediate corrective feedback
  2. Adjust the pace of an ongoing lesson
  3. Identify learning difficulties during a unit
  4. Judge overall achievement against course outcomes Correct answer.

Explanation

Summative evaluation takes place at the end of a period of instruction to determine the extent to which overall objectives have been attained. Its results are used for reporting, certification and overall judgement rather than for immediate adjustment.

Question 38Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

A learner who reads extra books on a topic simply because the subject fascinates her is displaying:

  1. Extrinsic motivation
  2. Negative reinforcement
  3. Vicarious learning
  4. Intrinsic motivation Correct answer.

Explanation

Intrinsic motivation arises from interest, curiosity and satisfaction inherent in the activity itself, with no external reward involved. Extrinsic motivation, by contrast, depends on rewards or pressures outside the task.

Question 39Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

In Mager's approach, a well-stated instructional objective specifies performance, condition and:

  1. Teaching method
  2. Content outline
  3. Criterion Correct answer.
  4. Test item

Explanation

Mager argued that an objective should state what the learner will do (performance), under what conditions, and to what standard of acceptable performance (criterion). Together these make the intended learning observable and assessable.

Question 40Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

In Gagne's nine events of instruction, which event comes first?

  1. Gaining attention Correct answer.
  2. Providing feedback
  3. Presenting the stimulus
  4. Assessing performance

Explanation

Gagne's sequence begins with gaining the learners' attention so that they are receptive to the instruction that follows. Presenting the stimulus, providing guidance and giving feedback all come later in the sequence.

Question 41Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

The main function of an advance organiser, as described by Ausubel, is to:

  1. Link new material to relevant existing knowledge Correct answer.
  2. Provide drill and practice on factual content
  3. Test prior knowledge before a lesson begins
  4. Summarise a lesson after it has been taught

Explanation

An advance organiser is presented before the main content and acts as a bridge between what learners already know and the new material. It is more abstract and general than the content itself, so it helps learners anchor the new information.

Question 42Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

In Bruner's spiral curriculum, key concepts are:

  1. Taught once at the highest level only
  2. Replaced by different topics each year
  3. Arranged from easiest to hardest within one lesson
  4. Revisited at increasing levels of complexity across grades Correct answer.

Explanation

A spiral curriculum reintroduces the same fundamental ideas at successive stages, each time in a more elaborate and abstract form. This allows learners to deepen understanding of core concepts as their cognitive capacity develops.

Question 43Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Which feature most clearly distinguishes cooperative learning from mere group seating?

  1. The teacher lectures while students listen
  2. Students sit together in groups
  3. Members depend on one another to complete a shared task Correct answer.
  4. Groups compete for a single prize

Explanation

Cooperative learning requires positive interdependence, so that each member's success depends on the group's success, together with individual accountability. Sitting together without mutual dependence does not make learning cooperative.

Question 44Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Increasing wait time after posing a question generally:

  1. Reduces student participation
  2. Gives more students time to think Correct answer.
  3. Makes lessons run faster
  4. Encourages only the fastest students to answer

Explanation

When teachers pause for several seconds after a question, more learners process the question and volunteer answers, and responses tend to be longer and more thoughtful. Longer pauses also reduce the dominance of the quickest responders.

Question 45Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Which task demands the highest level of thinking in the revised Bloom's taxonomy?

  1. Designing an experiment on light Correct answer.
  2. Explaining in detail why plants need light
  3. Naming the parts of a plant
  4. Listing three types of soil

Explanation

Designing an experiment requires generating an original plan or product, which is the creating level at the top of the taxonomy. Naming, listing and explaining all sit at lower levels.

Question 46Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Scaffolding is most effective when the support provided is:

  1. Provided only after failure on a test
  2. Restricted to the weakest students
  3. Given permanently for every task
  4. Gradually withdrawn as competence grows Correct answer.

Explanation

Scaffolding is temporary assistance that is faded as the learner gains competence, so that responsibility shifts to the learner. Support that never changes prevents the development of independent performance.

Question 47Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

A student is excused from a week of classroom clean-up duty after completing all assignments on time, and the on-time behaviour increases. In operant terms this is:

  1. Negative reinforcement Correct answer.
  2. Positive reinforcement
  3. Extinction
  4. Punishment

Explanation

Negative reinforcement strengthens a behaviour by removing an unpleasant condition, here the clean-up duty. The defining feature is that the consequence is removed and the behaviour increases.

Question 48Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

The microteaching cycle is best described as:

  1. Planning, teaching a small group, receiving feedback and re-teaching Correct answer.
  2. Observing an experienced teacher's lessons
  3. A full lesson taught once to a large class
  4. A written test of teaching skills

Explanation

Microteaching is a scaled-down training procedure in which a short lesson is taught to a small group, critiqued using feedback, and then taught again in improved form. The re-teach step is what distinguishes it from ordinary practice teaching.

Question 49Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

Differentiated instruction mainly involves adapting:

  1. The school timetable
  2. The curriculum content for the whole class
  3. The examination system
  4. Instruction to learners' readiness, interests and learning profiles Correct answer.

Explanation

Differentiation adjusts content, process or product in response to differences in students' readiness, interests and learning profiles. The aim is to reach the same essential outcomes by different routes rather than to lower expectations.

Question 50Pedagogy, Teaching Methods and Classroom Instruction

A student applies addition skills learned in mathematics to balance a cash book in accounting. This illustrates:

  1. Transfer of learning Correct answer.
  2. Rote learning
  3. Information loss
  4. Negative transfer

Explanation

Transfer of learning occurs when knowledge or skill acquired in one context is applied in another. Because the two contexts are similar, this is a clear case of positive transfer.